MUSIC

An Opera First: Matthew Epstein, 43, is to become general director of the Welsh National Opera on Aug. 28. He is believed to be the first American to run an opera company in Great Britain, and one of the very few Americans to have served in that capacity in any European country. The initial five-year contract calls for Epstein to devote 40 to 42 weeks a year to the WNO through 1996. He will live in Cardiff, Wales, while maintaining his Manhattan, N.Y. residence and his connections with the opera companies of Chicago, Santa Fe and San Francisco.